Good morning everyone. The road was getting a bit long so I have moved us again. This is one of my sons orchids to brighten the day .
Overcast, but warm here this morning. A very windy night but quite calm now. We had over 50 points of rain from around 5 pm yesterday but it seems miniscule compared to what has been going on up north.
I saw on the news last night that Halls Gap had flooded . Watching where we had been walking around a few weeks ago was unreal. We were going to go up there for a drive yesterday morning but decided to pop over to Hamilton instead. The day was quite nice here with light rain but warm. Lucky we changed our mind or we may have been caught up there as there are numerous creeks along the road. One never thought of a flood in Halls Gap . To see on the news, that quiet , pretty little stream in the middle of town as a raging torrent threatening the shops around it, was unreal.
I hope this morning that things are looking a bit better for the flood victims as the water recedes ever so slowly.
The very last thing needed up there is any of those possible cyclones that are forecast to maybe appear. We pray they don't.
I am always amazed at the two sides of humans. The majority will pitch in to help anyone regardless, but there are the few that want to gawk or steal .
Yes, we all may be curious to see the devastation after any disaster, but have the sense not to intrude on peoples grief.
Better go and put up the sign so people know where we have gone to. Stay safe everyone and know we all think of you and worry about our dear DG friends.
Jean.

Good morning. The sun is shining, and here one wouldn't get a hint of the devastation our city is in. I hope everyone and your families are all safe. I have now contacted all friends and family in the flood zones, and all are safe and none were directly affected by the floods. How lucky is that!

Our local river (the Logan) was, and still is, swollen, and cut roads, but no evacuations were necessary. Our catchment area did not get the amount of rains that they got further north.

Take care.
Karen.

This is the Logan River at Waterford, where my daughter lives. The waters never reached her, thank goodness, though the road was cut off.

Good morning everyone.
In all honesty I cannot watch the floods on TV anymore...the sadness is overwhelming...
When I heard the story of the little boy who begged the rescuers to take his little brother first, then both he and his mother were swept away...

I can donate and send what they need, but I can't watch their pain any more.

Jean, that orchid that your son sent is lovely..such a pretty colour...
We are on 99mm for the 4days and very wet...my mother's nursing home is having problems with the humidity, the walls are streaming with condensation...so they have had to turn off the A/C and open up the doors...It certainly has been tropical weather..
What a Summer.
We were staying down at Lorne a couple of years ago in the Cumberland caravan park and we were hit by a flash flood.
The creek which was only about 60cm deep broke it's bank in 4 hrs and swept away everything that hadn't been moved...
Straight into the sea.
Fingers crossed for Hall's Gap and everywhere else that's flooding.

Good afternoon everyone. We had about 2" of rain here yesterday but nothing harmed here. Everything is absolutely saturated so hope the cactus will drian quickly. I think that the greatest problem with the plants is they stew after so much rain and the sun pelts down on them. It's supposed to be 30C for the next few days here but no more rain is forecast. Jean the epi cuttings arrived yesterday, thank you. I haven't sent your piece of Clementine as yet because it was so hot on Monday and I thought it better to wait a bit. Will sent hopefully next Monday so that it gets there in the week. Will be back later after I hung the washing out. It's very humid here today. Phew!!!! Colleen

We are fortunate here on the Sunshine Coast...not too much damage at all...except for the roads. Large pot holes in the streets and roads.
Lost work hours for workers who couldn't get through the floods. However compared to other areas we count our blessings.

My son had twelve inchs water above the floor boards at his house in Oakey ( not far from Toowoomba)
He said the water went down quickly and they hosed the house out and have continued to clean for the last two days. His main concern was for his brand new motor mower that had been completely covered with water.

Lets hope they find all the bodies of the dead...that would be the worst thing.

Hi All
Kat very pleased you're OK,just hope that Judy gets in contact with someone to let us know how she has fared...Cyclone Zelia is predicted to go further down south and turn into a low as she interacts with the cooler seas off NZ and not impact on any part of the Queensland coast...fingers crossed.

Good morning everyone. It's a beautiful morning here this morning. Cool and crisp. Everything is washed clean and sparkling. My heart goes out to the people now left with the clean up of their homes. It must be horrific and I never wish to be in their predicament. My son arrives today to take the boys for a holiday in Adelaide. A week to garden, garden and more garden, maybe some reading and snoozing and a bit of TV. They both have their birthdays next week and he has ordered their cakes and has plans to take them snorkling among other things. I don't think that they will miss home for a few days. lol Jean I've put the kettle on again for everyone. The coffee was getting a bit low so I filled that up. I was given a large jar of Maccona dark roast for Christmas. I know it sounds like a strange present, but it is really lovely coffee and much appreciated. Well I hope all are well this morning. Elaine I hope you're taking it easy now that Christmas is over. Marleneanne glad to hear that you and yours are safe and Kat. Where have all the turkeys gone and the pythons. Hope that Cluckingham Palace and it's residents are safe. Be back later. Colleen

Good morning everyone. Its foggy here this morning. Talk about a variety of weather. All I need now is snow. Oops, better not say that too loud. The way the weather is acting, I just may get it.
Anthony, I see on the news that its Tassies turn for floods. Nothing really bad I hope. Are you safe where you are ?
Marlene, glad you and yours are okay up there.
Kat, where are you ? Out helping someone , I bet. Its going to be a nightmare. cleaning all the gunk . Be careful out near the water Kat, lots of erky germs floating around now.
I cant do anything down here , even for our own flood victims, except donate what I can.
Sue, are you okay ? I keep picturing you in that boat floating around your broms. .
Elaine, hope you are well and planning some project for your garden.
Judy, I also hope you are safe and out of the danger area.
Colleen, you are going to enjoy some time on your own. I see the weeds cringing at the thought of you going mad in the garden. Thanks for putting the kettle on and re filling the coffee jar.
Teresa , how are things over there ? I see quite a few clouds heading your way so I hope there is no flooding anywhere. you had enough with the earthquake.
Dianne, are you okay there ? Lots of water around down your way too.
Charleen, are you okay there ? How are the furry ones getting on in the cold ?
Louise, thank you for all your kind comments . You are lucky being in the only place without snow at the moment. Does it ever snow in Florida ? I hope not.
Love the pic of the girls relaxing on the chair.
Hello to everyone else. I hope all are safe and dry. I am off to see what I can get done today. Yesterday I sat in the greenhouse and sowed all my seeds in little peat pots. I am trying them out this year for all the seeds, plus a few larger ones for cuttings and small plants. They can be planted as is, so it should help the plants grow quickly without any transplant shock.
Be careful everyone and stay safe.
I'm leaving this lovely Chocolate Cheesecake out for you all .
Jean.

What strange goings on in the weather world. I am shocked at the amount of rain fallen over this side of Australia. Now Victoria and Tasmania are suffering the effects of abnormal rainfalls.

Still problems getting trucks through with food and supplies. Milk and bread are scarce everywhere. Our northern neighbours have been on ration like supplies for some time now. Looks like we are too. I'm glad to see some shops limiting the amounts people can buy. There are those who get around that though. The few get it all, and the rest are left without because of panic buying.

Almost made me cry this morning to see on TV the masses of volunteers turning up to help with the clean up. What incredible spirit people are showing. Makes my heart swell with pride.

like gypsies in a 'mule drawn cart' you evacuated 'tea room 80',..,the rain has""FINALLY'''''-stopped,but now severe damaging winds and the lilies are damaged from the hot rain or severe gusts,.,.'theres always next year'-for me-im no-where near in the same boat as the poor buggers in Queensland,and my heart goes out to you all!!!.,.,im not even going to open the garage door,in case the wind sends the house off in a spin ,like'the wizard of oz',.the walls are creaking and the roof is banging,but the computer is still working,so,'here i am'

Good afternoon to every one -Its a sad time for all but a joy to hear people you know are safe thate is a blessing . Its hard to watch TV and see the hardship so many are facing their lives turned upside down .not only here but all round the world .

I have been busy the weeks are going past at such a fast pace .
Yes a few projects on the go I see Louise has started mosaic's Iam sure she is having fun I have started another guitar and a few other little things . Here is the guitar so far .
Colleen happy Birthday to the boys You wont know whate to do with your self in the evenings being home alone.
My cup is a quarter full so better start to move the elves are watching me one has the broom ready to sweep up any crumbs till next time elaine.

Drove out very early this morning to get the paper (our newsagent was flooded out) and was amazed by the volume of traffic..trucks, utes, ordinary cars, with gurneys and generators and tools..all waiting to be passed by the police cordon so they could go down to Fairfield and Yeronga. Getting home was even trickier as I had to use side streets as all main streets to the area were a standstill..same reason! I had bought about eight loaves of bread and various fillings and made sandwiches (not my forte, I have always avoided doing tuckshop duty! :)) and, as it's local, I put them all in one of those shopping trolleys that little old ladies use (:)) ..except mine is bright purple!!!!...and walked down to Fairfield and Yeronga to hand out to the army of workers and owners. It really was like a battlefield. The black muck was so thick I had trouble walking on some streets...and the stench just gets worse every day. It was just amazing to see all these people who turned up to help..the council asked for 6000 city wide and I heard a report they got 22000 over the whole city! Some came from the Bay Islands..I met people I had taught and taught with. Always uplifting when a former student uses the word awesome! ;) I saw some very large piles of rubbish ;like mountains liniung the streets and would have loved to photgraoh it as this will again be a beautiful area..but wondered whether that was intruding. The workers had left by then. I'll go back tomorrow. One gentleman was just sorting through things with a friend. I handed him a bag of sandwiches and told him it would all be green and clean again as it had after the '74 floods. He said he was there then. I might look for him tomorrow. He didn't seem to want the army of volunteers. It must be hard having other people just come in and toss your possessions on the curb, filthy or not.

As a contrast, I come home..fenceman is mowing and buzzing and fussing and parking nut is walking back from a stickybeak somewhere. Where is karma?

As Charlie Brown said to Snoopy, "The flood waters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you"...
and that is what has happened..and continues to happen.

Friends returning from the day's clean up say the situation is heart wrenching. So many of the basics we take for granted are unavailable. No shops to buy anything, even sanitary products, even if they had the money. So many ATM's are down.

Barry and I went to the shops yesterday, and just rows and rows of empty shelves. Not a potato, not a tomato, not an apple in sight anywhere. I didn't look at the bread section, but there was a limited stock of milk in. There seemed to be a good supply of eggs too.

Little flowers are peeping out from incredibly overgrown places. I've forgotten what this is, but it seems to grow readily from seed.

It must be hard to have others come in and heave the lot onto the curb, but for many it would seem such a daunting task that they wouldn't know where to begin. I think I'd settle for the army of volunteers for fear that if I didn't I'd fall in a heap. I'm guessing at this point that the longer it (the mud) sits, the harder it will be to move?

The poor souls here whose houses were flooded a fortnight ago still have the water sitting there, and the levels rose again a couple of days ago. I can't begin to imagine the job they will have when they can get in again.

"Karen, I can't understand why the shops there are running low? Are there supply problems, or is it due entirely to panic buying? "

I think it is both, though now supply is the problem. Also, we are not a flood hit area, and I think we will not be considered urgent, but seriously, we do still have to eat, don't we? The shops will be trying to get supplies in as they will be losing money while their shelves are empty.

Two different flowers, the red is Huernia schneidereana, and the other is huernia zebrina.

Good morning everyone. Nice to see you back Kat. I thought maybe the water may have sneaked up closer to you.
Marlene, great to see that you have lost that river frontage.
Karen, nice to see you safe as well.
Elaine, I love your latest guitar. Glad to see you too.
I hope Sue, Chrissy and Judy are safe . I haven't seen them about for a while.
Anthony, you didn't get blown away. How did the liliums go through the wind etc ?
It was fine and warm here yesterday after a foggy morning. Today is overcast but will hopefully get warmer later.
I am in the middle of potting up a few brugs into bigger pots.
I have little shoots coming on a couple that I thought had completely died. Frosty is flowering, a lot bigger than last year. I was contemplating the weeds around the irises too. Thats about all I can do at the moment as the ground is still a bit wet to be pulling them out. I think there will be a day of Roundup very soon.
The floods here in Vic are very bad for those affected even if not on the scale of the Qld one. Still a lot of water around both here and up north , that has to go somewhere. It recedes from one place but can reappear elsewhere. Until it finally gets to the river mouth, there is a risk for lots of places.
I wish all the volunteers well up there as it is a huge task.
Having to go into someones house and toss their possessions away is terrible, but necessary.
I hope all stay safe and dry. Its lovely to see faces popping in with news on whats going on around them in this crisis.
Just a pity we cant wish everything nice and clean as our virtual Tea Room world is.
I'll leave something nice in the kitchen for anyone popping in. Raspberry Coconut Slice.
Jean.

karen'-belumcanda chinesis,or blackberry lily,is the mystery flower,.i have a foam box of it here[from seed]which tumbled off the front wall!.so i may have none!GOODONYA KAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!for the[coloured] trolley of sammies

Kat - how kind of you to make so many sandwiches, and I know it must have been a disappointment to find the workers had already gone. I just can't imagine how much work there must be to clean everything up.

Colleen - I hope you enjoy some alone time with the boys away on holiday. Enjoy a nice break and be as lazy as you can be!! lol

Jean - Do your brugs in pots get top heavy and tip over in the winds? As to our having no snow if Florida - it is very rare, but north Florida has had snow in the last year. We have never had snow so far south where we are. Our region is considered subtropical. I think that's why we have so many of the same plants you have.

Kat, I don't know that my stomach would cope with the smell. You are a braver man than I am. It is heart warming that so many are coming out to help. Some may not like it, but if it was me, I couldn't do it alone.

Thanks Anthony. It seems to grow readily from seed, so that's a good thing. I'll save the seeds if I can, so if anyone wants any, let me know. I really am out of places to grow any more.

Doesn't it make you proud to see all those volunteers...I heard last night on the ABC about the woman who started baking for the volunteers and now she has a network of people all over, who can't help with the cleanup, but they certainly do their bit, by baking all sorts of goodies which are then delivered to the centres for distribution to the workers and the residents.

Then there was the call for Gum Boots and they received thousands of pairs..all are delivered by the truckload to the clean up sites.

If only the world was so compassionate all of the time...
I hope someone is helping those poor people in Brazil.

Jean and Colleen at last I have those seeds...I know ...you have forgotten what they were, it's been so long...Scabiosa "Crimson Clouds"
I will post them this week...
Colleen, hope you have a good book...the boys will be back before you know it...and there is still a couple of weeks 'till they go back to school.
Louise, that tray is a great first effort...looked like you've been doing it for ages...post when it is completed too.
Elaine, your guitar is lovely as usual.

hot today, probably 33C.
was hot yesterday as well, hit 31C...
gale force nor west winds expected later, already blustery outside.
Enough to prevent me from gardening, I did an hour at dog club this morning had two runs of the practice rally-o course, taking heart from the fact that both would have been qualifiers.
We compete next sunday & I would really like a 'Q'.
last time we tried we scored an 'NQ'... I hadn't noticed Copper didn't sit fully before moving on.
Handler error is our biggest problem.
It is supposed to be 24C that day so that should help - and I won't be working a night shift the day before.
Swapped as a favour to a co-worker & didn't realise there was an engagement party on, I was working 4pm Saturday till 1am Sunday.
By the time I got home to bed it was 2am & the darling dog wakes up at 6.30am raring to go. (could have been worse, he often decides we must get up at 6am)
I fed him & put his bed out on the deck then crawled back to bed, an hour later the sound of the wind rattling the windows woke me & I started to worry about whether Copper was still in the yard as I hadn't heard a peep out of him.
He was fine but no more sleep for me after that.
I think I need a nana nap!

oh I meant to say that the Warehouse has donated a container of gumboots to QLD.
Kiwi gumboots are usually pretty good - they certainly get enough use here!
After the earthquake some power companies sent their customers gifts of transistor radios or those torches you shake to charge.
So hands up who has a disaster kit on hand right now?
Guess what - my hand did not go up...
we bought a mini charcoal bbq as a back up way for cooking/water boiling.
But as far as having bottled water etc stockpiled just in case we are just not on the ball.

Our water is tank only, so unless our two tanks packed it in we'd be right for water, and we have one of those little stoves that runs on the butane gas cylinders. It lasts for absolutely ages. The freezer is full of meat and bread, so for the first day and a half we'd have food coming out our ears. After that though, we'd be sweating on the asparagus throwing out new shoots, I think. I fairly recently discovered just how easy it is to sprout seeds (alfalfa etc) so we usually have some of those on hand, and a tiny amount of seed makes a heap of sprouts. I've been meaning to master the food dehydrator, and really must get around to doing that, just to have a bit on hand if our power does go out for an extended period.

Hi all..how are things in Victoria? They seem to be getting washed now..and Tassie! It's okay..I was plenty early to feed the workers but I was down there all day so got to survey the piles of mess after the buzz of activity had passed...and I', not alone..lots of family doing it too. It's all on again today...A sister and b-i-l picked up heaps of bottled water from a pollie and handed that out..but had to wear his badge. Yesterday they bought heaps of cans to give out but it gets expensive. The helicopters have got bored..the tv stations have finished their all day live coverage and adopting stategic positions in the chaos..so it seems eerily quiet. Still no boats on the river..won't be for weeks, I guess.
I looked at my epies last night..they seem to have survived the rain. The only mushies were potted cuttings that had sprouted and started growing but I had the whole tray on a shelf so the water didn't drain away as well as the hanging ones do. I'd be not happy if the big plants carked it as when the mushies hit, they hit quickly!
Has anyone heard from Chrissy lately? It is weird weather down in NSW but it may not be as far south as where she is..yet. Jean, are you dry? I heard from Ron R as I was concerned about him..he's floodbound. He was concerned about other Qld members..Marleneann..Karen..I told him you were okay. We are still in for more wet..the ocean temp in the Coral sea is evidently still the highest it's been on record so La Nina is not going to leave us for a few months..then, the pendulum will swing back to drought! Take care..keep gumboots and snorkel handy. Loved the post last Tuesday night by some brisght spark on twitter.."Lost, Tuesday night. Three goldfish!"

Boy it was a hot one here to day I did manage a little time to work before the heat had me running inside to sit in the cool .
Over time I have been doing edges yesterday I glued 20 on to wooden frame I made and this morning placed it in front of the pots still have to make more to finish its a slow project I use the left over shards from when I do other things. 20 edges =2:50 metres .
Thanks for nice comments on the guitar I think its going to be the best I"ve done so far .
Till later elaine.

kat,keep the humour up,i know,sitting back here,i cant think to equate the severity of it all[maybe cant think at all]ive been reminiscing with a cold ale or 20,..,dalfyre,'cockys 2 mates' tia,the boxer and old' tooree'the black lab-escaped on saturday,..,took off straight down to the main road..,tooree got bowled over by a car[unhurt],why tia watched him from the other side of the road,.,.my daughter was running around in panic[rspca officer]-bit different when its your own!!!-tooree 's ok,still full of herbs,.cocky does so much love them being in his yard and he seems so happy in general with company,.,.elaine,its hot here too,but if you immerse yourself in lustrous lily blooms and have a fridge full of 4xxxx ,the world is a great place!!!!!! in the words of 'patrick hernandez'-we were born,born,born,-born to be alive- enough,its time for bed-anthony

lol - Anthony, it was 34C here yesterday but we had plenty of Export Gold Lager in the fridge & I sat under the shade of our silk tree - (aka Mimosa) & kept our hot dog company.
Glad the great escape didn't come to a tragic end.
It was said on one of my doggy sites that dog people are good people - they are going all out to fund raise for the flood victims...
I think garden people are also wonderful people when you look at the support & effort so many on this list are giving to help out.
Anyway the dog folk are having a virtual dog show, they did this with great results for the Victoria bushfires.
They have a category for mix breed dogs & one for those at the rainbow bridge.

Good morning everyone. Overcast and cool this morning after a perfect day yesterday. No floods anywhere around here , though Casterton ( about 20 mins away) has been flooded in the low areas beside the river. Most of the flooding here in Vic is further north and west of us.
Kat, you are doing great, helping out there. So many people that have put others before themselves.
Lots of young people , which is terrific to see. Just a shame that the other side of human nature is showing with the scam operators coming out of the woodwork.
Elaine, I love your edging. Looks like a row of tiny colored houses.
Keep inside in the heat and relax.
Anthony, stay sitting among your liliums, you deserve to relax now , having won all the prizes.
Glad the dogs are okay after their foray out on the road.
Teresa, are you being rained on too ? You don't need anything else there after the earthquake.
Dianne, you were right, I had forgotten all about the seeds. I look forward to growing them.
Thats if I can find the garden in the weed jungle. Never seen such green , healthy weeds at this time of the year. I found a milk thistle hiding behind a shrub, where it had grown to around 6' tall. My raspberries are putting out heaps of fruit. We may get to eat them as Michael ( the scarecrow) is still standing guard right next to them.
We will not get many of the blood plums even though it is the best year with so much very large fruit on the tree. One branch broke under the weight. Most of the plums are splitting now from too much rain. The nectarine trees are so loaded, I hope they don't split too. Lots of grapes , but the birds are very good at getting in and picking off each one as it ripens.
Hello Colleen, are you enjoying the quiet time and getting out in the garden ?
I do hope Chrissy, Sue and Judy are okay.
Better move as hubby wants the computer to send mail.
Hello to everyone else out there.
Keep safe and dry .
Here is something nice to nibble on with your cuppa. Apple Cinnamon TeaCake.
Jean.

Good morning everyone. Whoo hooo. It's lovely and quiet around here this morning. I have been up since 5am and I'm going to savour every moment of my holiday from my "little darlings" Youngest one's 7th birthday today. Uncle John has lots of things planned, plus the all important B-Cake. Elaine you are doing some lovely work there. I really like the edging mosaics. Jean I hope you don't get that flood water down your way.It's been horrific hasn't it? My heart goes out to all those affected. ... I hope to get some Brug seedlings put into bigger pots this week as well. I just hope I have enough bigger pots for them all. Brian's brugs are not doing too much at the moment. The only ones flowering are the RFP. I wish I could get some buds on OSA and Knightii. They're being very elusive. for me, as is GHA. Patience is the word. Well I hope everyone has a wonderful day and I'll be popping in from time to time as i enjoy my solitude. Colleen

A very good morning to all I am excited this morning my sweet little Oleander has grown a seed pod for the first time .
This morning I have tied a soaker hose above the pots where I placed the edgers so I can mist them as the day heats up .
Might even try one of Anthony"s XXX"s while I"m sitting in there .
Have to go see if there are any more surprises my plants have for me this morning.. elaine.

Thank you, Dianne! I've been playing around with the design on a small bird bath I'll probably do next. I haven't even finished the first piece and I'm zooming on the next. I guess I've got it bad. :) Elaine - what a clever idea to do the edgers! They are adorable!

Colleen - glad to hear you are making the most of your holiday! Enjoy!

Marlene - I forgot to tell you last time I was posting that I love that beautiful view of your front yard. Very peaceful.

Anthony - I'm so happy that none of the escapees were hurt! I was holding my breath reading your post. Whew!

Gosh..the world seems normal today..but not for those who were washed out of their homes. I was about to buy a new fridge when the floods hit..have been putting it off and hubby said the milk was off already so the time has come..so went out and was served by an exceptional young salesman at HN Mt Gravatt..I tweeted his virtues and already have a reply from HN. I am being "followed" by them and quite a few news services..maybe they think I know something..even Julia Gillard! Lol!

It's been a smashing day weather wise..who would have thought what last week was like and would bring? A show came up on tv last night..the one with Billy Connolly..and a week ago we watched it as we were doing things. It's hard to think that a week ago we had no idea what was about to happen ..
Anthony..we are very lucky. I have seen the heartache but we haven't lost anything..hubby lost
using his practice for a week and a week's work..he evacuated and had no phones or power..but that's just a minor blip! I don't think I'll ever erase the sights and smells of last weekend..the clean up was worse than the flooding! Some poor lady had her kitchen ripped out by over zealous volunteers and there was nothing wrong with it!

So, holidays end in two days..epies still waiting to be potted and potted on..house still a mess... books need sorting...etc etc...I think it would have been embarrassing if I'd been flooded as my pile of junk would have been the biggest!

well they are threatening us with storms & bad weather.
Yesterday we had cooler temps & drizzle, which after 34C was refreshing.
Today is calm & fine, lovely for walking the mad dog.
And no adventures today, the little Jack Russells that came out their gate to bark at Copper yesterday were nowhere to be seen. For which I am grateful as I am sore enough after restraining him - tore my nail away from the bed - it is very tender. (just one edge, not the entire nail... )
I have some lovely bruises from his muzzle whacking into my leg as well.
Mind you had this happened a couple of years ago I wouldn't have been able to restrain him - I might be nursing a dislocated shoulder or worse.
I have a massage session this afternoon - I am so much in need of it - the hardest part will be deciding which muscles need the attention first!

Good morning everyone. A fine but cold day yesterday and this morning is very overcast .
I don't mind a bit more rain here as it does soak in where it is needed. So many years without enough rain have made the soil seem like a hungry sponge . It has certainly filled the rivers and is causing a lot of flooding in many areas. Horsham is waiting for the peak today and half the town in under water . Such a lot of the land in Australia is flat and low lying. No wonder we have had inland oceans in the long ago past.
I have been busy potting up all my small zygos and some of the smaller brugs. I am starting to see flowers on the brugs now. With all the rain , they are larger this year.
Anthony, I am still looking at the daffodils in the catalogue. How does one choose just a few ?
Colleen, how is the quiet time going ? I bet you are doing lots in the garden. Go out and speak to GHA> he should be powering away now. Mine are looking great. One of my GHA plants I thought had died completely in the cold, has sent up a heap of small shoots. I am going to leave them all there and see how they look as a nice clump .
My broms are coloring and putting out pups so they like the weather
Hello Louise. You sound like you are going to be very busy with visitors . The girls will be getting so much attention. Hope your garden is going well. It must be growing well now.
Kat, you and hubby were very lucky. It breaks my heart to see the loss for all those people, especially the older ones with so many years of memories all gone.
I can never get around the mind of someone who could go in and loot houses as this is all going on.
Have you still got all the turkey friends ? They must be hiding out behind your house on the hill.
Hello Teresa. I hope you just get enough rain where its needed and no floods.
Take care of those aching muscles. I know how strong those dogs can be.
Charleen, how are you going in the cold there ? I hope Charley and friends are staying in shelter.
Hello Dianne, Marlene, Elaine and everyone else out there.
I am going out to the kitchen to see what I can give you all today. Coconut Mango Cake.
Keep dry if you can and stay safe.
Jean.

Good morning everyone. Well I had a very productive day yesterday. I cleaned the whole kitchen, living area. Walls and all. I feel better now. Today I'm going to look in my sewing room and see if I can change it into another bedroom, so that the boys will have separate rooms. Mind you I only said look. lol Jean your Clementine piece is on the way. Beautiful morning here. The birthday boy had a chocolate mud cake and played with a couple of John's mates kids so he had a wonderful day. John gave him a DS and then took him shopping to get a couple of games for it. He got the Ninja turtle game so he was rapt. Well I had better get started if I'm going to do anything. Be back later. Colleen

It certainly is muggy Karen. After weeks of rain here the weeds have gone ballistic. The best part of an acre certainly takes a long time to attack with the brushcutter, and after a few days of only having an hour at either end of the day that is cool enough to do it the end seems to be finally in sight, although the way it's all growing, I might need to start again once I've reached the end.

With all the rain, the ground that is usually like cement has softened, so our two little dogs are digging everywhere. I know that it's going to be rock hard again soon, so it's hard to begrudge them the immense fun they're having doing it, although it's starting to look like a mine field around here. I think I've almost convinced hubby that we need to build them a sand pit, and maybe a little bit of a platform where they can purvey their little bit of the world. I wonder sometimes if I'm getting a bit soft in the head, but our pets give us so much, yet really ask so little. As I see it, indulging them a little is the least we can do.

Enjoy your day all, and any of you that are at risk of the floods in Victoria, stay safe.

Hello to everyone.
I am so pleased that you were saved from the ravages of these floods. Governement now has to answer to the hieracy as to why, when it was advised to free the water from the overflowing dam...was not..some 4 weeks prior to the floods. So much controversy.

Colleen, you seem to be enjoying your week, but wot are you doing up and about at 5a.m.? I think that I would be sleeping in; enjoy whatever you do..Give your boys our Happy Birthday wishes. The chocky mud cake sounds delish. Where are you going to re-locate your sewing gear...as you said...just looking at present.
Off to shop on this gloomy, humid, rainy afternoon.
Anna :-)

Cold and overcast again here,
I will post the seeds in the morning, Jean and Colleen...I will just put them in the envelope so don't open until you are ready to plant.

Colleen, that sounds like a good idea, separate rooms for the boys, then they can learn to keep their rooms tidy and give you a hand...sounds as though they are enjoying their time with John...

I have my teenage grandaughters at the moment and we are doing lots of shopping...good fun..movies with the girls and my mother tomorrow...Burlesque with Cher and Christine Aguilera...we are all looking forward to it.

You have reminded me Jean, I wanted a white Daffy, almost forgot to order with all the commotion here.

Just a cautionary note to those of us who buy from Ebay...
An elderly relative of mine was contacted by phone from a woman who had purchased a bike thru Ebay...it was faulty and she wanted her money back...this relative is in his 80's and had no idea what she was on about...After screaming at him, she realised that he was innocent in this matter and hung up...He reported it to the police the next day and never heard any more.
Then the other day, it happened again. This time a woman from Canberra phoned over a headset, which was faulty...this time he took her name and phone number and rang me.

I rang her back and she explained that she had been given my relative's address by Ebay, so she could settle the dispute...She was shocked to find out that the address was not connected to the seller at all...
Question...how did the seller set up an account with Ebay/Paypal using a fraudulent name, address and phone #?
These questions I put to Ebay and their answer came back today...

The biggest load of double dutch twaddle... I have ever heard...obviously written by someone for whom English isn't their first language.
Oh yes, they would be taking action and if I wanted to block this buyer, I could take the action he advised...nothing at all to do with my complaint .
I have told Ebay what I think of their help.
If it happens again then it's off to Consumer Affairs...it has been reported to Police again.

Diane It makes me so mad -- It must have been so up setting to receive the phone calls and not know whate the person was talking about I have a answering machine and never answer if I dont know the callers voice they are a good idea for us older people thate way when any thing is reported
to the police they can hear whate the call is and take action if needed .-----elaine.

Morning all.
I forgot to mention that gardengal...we passed that on to Ebay and still got that idiotic reply...The buyer was taking action from her end, so I will find out if she got any answers from them...

Good idea Elaine, but he is in his 80's and lives on his own and it's very hard to get him to change anything...I don't think that the police will do anything about it because this is the 2nd time he has reported it happening...I will ring the Office of Fair Trading today if I get the chance and find out whose responsibility it is...because as I explained to Ebay, it is fraudulent use of someone's personal details to sell goods on Ebay...

That means that any of us can set up an account with Ebay with totally untrue details,,,great security.
Can you tell that I am still very angry?

Good morning everyone. Another overcast morning but forecast to get a bit warmer. I expect our summer will turn up in March sometime.
I am putting up more shelves in my zygo house so I can spread the smaller plants out in their new pots. . Some lovely flowers coming now on my brugs. GHA of course and Frosty has flowers too.
We have so many orb spiders here at the moment. You walk into web all over the place. Such pretty spiders. We have one near the wattle tree that is red . Quite different to the others.
Have to fix the door on the zygo house too. The darn cat got in there and knocked a lot of pots over. Luckily no labels were mixed up.
Hello Elaine, nice to see that you have that security of the answering machine.
Dianne , that is terrible to have happen to someone of any age but harder on the elderly. I do buy plants on eBay and at times , sell mine. I have been lucky in finding that most people are quite good on there. Probably because I only deal with plant people . They seem to be mostly genuine. I have received one or two shoddy plants but mainly very good. I think we get to know each other and it different to people just selling the odd thing like bikes , clothes etc.
Its always wise to be alert though , with all the scams going around.
Hello Anthony, I'm still looking at those daffodils. I keep making a list then changing it. I will have to make up my mind soon or I'll get none.
Hello Karen and Pam. I hope you are out of the water up there now.
Kat, are you going to feed those epis to the turkeys again or have they all washed away ?
Colleen, you must be having a lovely time pottering around the garden quietly. The boys sound like they enjoyed them selves .
Charleen, are you out there ? I hope you are not covered in snow.
Louise, love to see photos of your garden again . You will be thinking of your other garden with all the snow around up there.
Better move as I want to get over to Coleraine and pick up a bit of timber .
Have a great day and stay dry if you can. Hello to all those out there lurking.
Try this Chocolate Cake with Caramel Icing.
Jean.

Good morning. I hope everyone is settling down again after all of Nature's disturbances lately. Seachanger, I do understand your anger. I had an experience with eBay and ended up writing to tell them that trying to deal with eBay was the most frustrating experience ever. Looks like they haven't changed.

Out into the big bad world again today. No rain yet, but storms possible later, so the sooner I get out, the sooner I can get back.

Oh, I had a very, very sick young lorikeet fly in and park itself on my birds' cage. It was literally spewing all over the place. I am sick with worry that it might have infected my birds. I took the little thing in and can only hope it will recover. I've de-loused it (it was crawling) but it also needs worming, so as soon as it is a bit stronger, I'll do that too, if its still alive. It is looking brighter, but is so thin, its chest stands out like a razor. Very under size too. Time will tell all.

jean,i asked for a 'mortie' and a 'ferdie', in exchange for 2 'true' duchatrei-bulbs,..,these arent bigger than a 'bic'-pen lid- i know he has been very busy,as i visited on friday,.as for e-bay,ive made 266 purchases,3 items,'just never made it' ,one definately never got posted,ive spoken to some of the most braindead people on earth,[but ive got some of the best lilies in the world]for 'that' i thank god!!!!karen,hand feed the lorikeet wet ,wheat biscuit,hand feed drink-ive been through this!!!!dianne,-dont let it get to both of you,your relative doesnt need it,and refer any complainants back to e-bay security,.

Dear Jean, My internet went down, so sorry, don't mean to be a worry. So sorry to hear of all the flooding in Australia. Hoping the best for everyone in and near it.
My internet modem died out and I had to have it replace. It happen when thesnow/ice storm was sweeping thru Georgia. The roads were covered and georgia has a terrible time in Good weather, so you know we were bad in Bad weather, They just got it delivered yesterday.I am so glad I am back. Water froze and finally got it thawed but they are calling for dropping temps this weekend.
Here is picture of Cadinal with icy tree branches.
the longears are covered in mud but I do believe they love it. they get out there and roll in it. gave them all horse cookies yesterday. They love their snacks.
blessings and love to all.
Charleen, Charley and all the Critters

Good morning everyone. Just for a change, the sun is shining early. It has only started to warm up in the late afternoon over the last few days. Right about the time when one is going inside.
Shopping day today, so I will , as usual, be looking for orphans.
Hello Anthony. I looked at Ferdie myself. I have a short list now and will finalise it over the weekend. There is another of the white longifloras coming out. I didn't see it at first because its only short.
Bad luck with the eBay buys. I have only lost one parcel and it wasn't even from there. My cousin in Melbourne sent me some plants which went missing.
Hello Charleen. Lovely to see you again. I can just picture Charley rolling in the mud. Keep warm there.
Hello Karen, I hope the little bird makes it.
Hello to everyone else. I am off in a rush as usual. Hubby is funny like that. He always like to be extra early.
My mum was the same. I remember waiting at a country airport with her after she came to visit. We were 2 hours early for the plane. Even the local staff hadn't arrived.
Keep dry and safe.
Enjoy the Devils Food Cake.
Jean.

Good morning everyone. I had a lovely day yesterday. I went to see my little g/daughter who has a 7th birthday today. I have 3 grandies who are all 7 at the same time today. Tomorrow Branden turns 8. He's getting a big boy now. I haven't done much gardening while they've been away but it's been lovely just to do what I want when I want to. I went to bed at 3am one morning just because I could. I was still up at the normal time but I did have a kip during the day. Lovely. Charleen it's great to have you back. My monitor went bung a couple of weeks ago but I just pinched the boy's until I got a new one. All's well now. I'm very surprised at what I have learnt about the computer in the last couple of years. When anything went wrong I would just sing out to Brian but now I have to work it out myself. I was able to hook up the other monitor with no trouble just from watching how Brian did things. My other brother in Adelaide was in IT so he has sent me a CD so that he can look at my computer if anything goes wrong and I can't work it out. He did the same with Brian and that's why Brian knew so much about the workings. I went and picked up a heap of Brian's books yesterday. They are going to live with me now. I have packed away a lot of the boys little books that they don't need anymore into plastic tubs so have some room to put Brian's books on my book shelves now. There's a lot of plant books, especially native plants. He used to be in a group called SCAP which dealt with the IDing of native plants. He and a friend actually found a new species at the back of our lake here. I forget what it was though. He said at the time they found it they just passed all the information about what it was and where it was to the native plant society in Adelaide and someone else claimed the find. Some things are not fair are they? Well I had better go now and see what I'm going to do for the day. Another lazy day I can assure you. Be back later. Colleen

Good morning. Lovely morning so far, but they say more storms later. So far we haven't been directly hit, so hope we keep missing out, but getting some rain from them.

Little bird is picking up energy wise, but you would simply not believe how skinny he is. I might try to get a pic later but he keeps hiding in his box. He is eating well though and has stopped throwing up, so hope that means its all good. Worming him is next.

My frangipanni has grown crazy after all the rain, and is reaching for the house. It is blocking the side gate. I can probably just walk under it, but a 6 foot person wouldn't be able to without hitting the branches. I've tried to prune it previously, but it seems to want to grow the same wayall the time.

I phone the Telephone folks and they walked me thru hooking everything back up colleen. so glad they are patient with me. They are always so nice. So Glad to be back with all my friends. I have missed you all.
What happened to the little bird? I missed it. Did you rescue the little fella? Poor things.
Will try to get you some muddy mule pictures.
Hugs and nuzzles to all.

Good morning everyone. Very warm yesterday but not uncomfortable. Today the same. I found orphans. I came home with a tall ( about 4') alogyne. Its a very pretty pinky mauve and a double. Never seen a double before. If it grows as well as the ones I have , it will be lovely.
Also a very healthy looking grevillea with a yellow flower. Good for pots, so it will sit out near the front veranda.
Hello Marlene, watch out you don't get lost in the weeds. I know how you feel. Mine are looking like a jungle here too.
Hello Karen, glad the little bird is looking a bit better.
Anthony, how are you doing down there. No floods or fires at least.
Telephone companies ?? Charleen, you are very lucky there. If I rang and asked for that sort of help, I would most like be told to ring someone else. We either get put on hold forever or have some person who is probably overseas somewhere, who I cannot understand properly anyway .
I must say, I have found a few that are really good.
Going out again today as I am needing my haircut. I have to pick up my timber for the new door on the shadehouse too.
Colleen, very pretty flower. I have some ginger plants growing well and hope I get a flower like yours. It seems that Brian taught you a lot about your plants. How lovely to have all his books too.
Dianne, seeds arrived, thank you.
I have one lone zinnia growing out the front. Considering all the seeds I have thrown around over the years, I should have acres of flowers. I don't know where they all go. Doesn't matter what the seeds are from , they never grow. I blame the ants. Any self sown seeds seem to do well. Very odd.
Hello Elaine, Karen, Sue , Kat and Chrissy if you're out there.
Louise, hello to you too. Pats for the girls.
Bette get a move on as I want to do a few things outside before I get off to the hairdressers.
Enjoy the day and l hope you are all keeping dry now.
I hope all the people flood affected are okay. It seems Mother Nature is really sharing herself around as the flood waters make their way towards other towns now.
Keep safe.
Heres some delicious Chocolate Cherry Cake.
Jean.

Ohhhh...chocolate cherry...I gained half a stone just at the mention of it!

Hello everyone, hope your day is sunny and cheerful. We had rain this morning but the sun is out at the moment. Don't know that I trust it to stay that way.

Little bird looks very bright this morning, so I let her out (I think its a girl) and she had a very small flutter around. Not much, but its exercise. I started the worming treatment today, and will have to keep her at least 2 weeks to complete it. Hopefully by then she will have gained weight and strength. I let my two out with her, and honestly, she is like a little finch compared to my two. Toby thought it was love at first sight and was very protective of her. Mizzy thinks she's got more competition for my affection.

Moved all my brom pots in under cover again as I am afraid of them rotting. They don't get much of a chance to dry out these days.

Good morning everyone. Beautiful morning here but is going to get pretty warm by this afternoon. The boys went snorkeling yesterday and had the time of their lives. Cameren is missing Gran a bit but is still enjoying himself with Uncle John. It's Branden's birthday today , 8years old. I've got a couple more days to do whatever I want then back to reality. I got all their school clothes ready yesterday. All washed and ironed and hung up. I have been through their cupboards and got rid of anything that they don't wear or they have grown out of, so all neat and tidy in there now. [should do the same with my cupboards too] lol I'm definitely going to pot up the brug seedling today. Have been saying that for ages it seems, but today's the day. Well must get moving and have some breakfast, take my tablets and get to it before it gets too hot. be back later. These little roses are all on one stem and look like porcelain. It's called Blueberry Hill. Colleen

Colleen,
The Blueberry Hill looks wonderful.. Is it growing in the garden or in a pot?
I guess that you are back to normal now. My, how you've worked whilst the boys were absent. Are you sure that it was a rest?? lol
About to bbq some chicken legs and make my pasta with ham, peach, chives & creamy dressing salad...yummo
My geraniums are blooming thanks to you...and Jean, although it is so humid here on the Central Coast..at 8.a.m. it was 89% and climbing...really am over summer. The cicadas provide a cacophany of noise from daylight to sunset; sometimes so loud one has to take the phone into the bathroom to have a conversation...
Just heard the 4p.m. news re Insurance companies who will not honour their policies. Am shaking my head in confusion and maybe anger for those folk who have nowhere to live and will now not have a home. Surely, when we take out insurance we do so 'knowing'/thinking that we are šovered'.
Hello everyone, I am really pleased that those of you whom I've met in the last couple of months on this site are okay...
Anna :-

Hello Anna. Great to see you pop in. The rose bush is in the ground and has been for about 10 years or so. My late S-I-L, Brian's wife gave it to me as a birthday present years ago and it is flowering just beautifully. I dare say that it would grow in a pot as long as it got full sun as all roses like. Your pasta sounds wonderful but please leave the peaches out for me and I'll have them for sweets. The holiday ends tomorrow. The boys will be home. They have missed me so I'm told everyday. I've missed them too but the break has been lovely and I know that they have been looked after and spoiled rotten. I actually heard a cicada at my other son's house in Berri about 15kms up the road. I said to him are they the same as in QLD and he said yes so our climate must be changing. I hope that the cane toads don't follow them. I would have an awful time trying to stop everything killing the poor things and Cameren would be saying " Are they God's creatures, Gran? Well you're not supposed to kill them" The same goes when I spray flies and mossies. I have to do it when he can't see. He tries to take all the green loopy caterpillars off the brugs and save them. I must admit though it"s not a task I relish. Well might go and have some tea, last one by myself for a while I bet. Colleen

Annabellaaust wrote: Surely, when we take out insurance we do so 'knowing'/thinking that we are šovered'.

Yes Anna, I know what you mean. For people to check that they have flood insurance when they take out a policy, and then for the insurance companies to turn around and say it's the wrong type of flood is an absolutely low and despicable act on their behalf. It seems they're for some reason exempt from the same consumer laws that apply to everyone else. Suncorp's premiums are certainly not the cheapest, but I'll bet there are a lot of people now wishing they were with them. They're the only company who did genuinely cover for flood as standard, it has turned out. I suspect there will soon be a bit of government regulation within the insurance industry.

busy arvo,.weve been watching and listning to 'MONA" at moorilla estate[ a new and old art museum opening after 3 years,]..,[ive been doing steel deliveries there]],.,.2000 guests on opening night[tonight],-rumoured,'mick jagger and sting,to 'name a few-,many limos going in and out and many choppers,.,.also many private cruise liners moored in hobart,.[armani] for 1,.,.we overlook the site and are about 200 metres away.many a past sunday arvo, the air has been filled with great aussie band music,...wonder what tonight will bring[saw big flame throwers there last night]????-no doubt i'll find out!

Good morning world, such a lovely morning so far. Colleen, that rose, Blueberry Hill, is to die for. I've never seen it before. Hello Anthony. Was it a good show there last night?
Marlene, your little huernia is lovely. It is good to see them in flower now. I have more buds coming, one on a plant I haven't seen flower yet. Oh, the suspense! Love the other flowers too.

I have hired one of those plastic bags from Garden Waste, and will probably fill it in a day. The pruning that needs to be done just to the few trees in the front is going to be a huge job. My pathways are just about blocked. I am a bit concerned about a camelia which has grown out just on one side across the walkway. Cutting it back will leave very little of it left, but sadly it cannot stay as it is. The bulldozers ripped off the whole back half of it, so I'll be having to trim back what is left. It means losing the flowers this year, but really it has to be done.

Little bird may turn out to be a runner, sadly. They don't usually live very long, and it means she can't be released back to the wild. She can barely fly. Time will confirm, but I think this is her problem. Toby is very protective of her, even trying to stop me from going near her.

Good morning everyone. A sunny but cool morning here today. Yesterday was fine and warm. I have my timber now so will be madly working in the shadehouse today. I want all the rails up for the epis so I can start moving them around.
I have hollyhock seeds up already in my little mini greenhouse. I see some other little seeds also popping their heads up. I have them all in little peat pots so can sow into the ground or pots without root disturbance.
Hello Colleen, you will be pleased to see the boys back. I'm afraid they wouldn't like me as I would be squishing cane toads everywhere if they came here.
Love that rose too. So delicate looking.
Hello Anna. I'm glad your plants are going well. If they look affected by the humidity, just cut them back.
I know some people only grow geraniums etc as annuals.
Hello Marlene. Very pretty flowers. I , too, like the stapelias. I have large buds on my burgundy one and am waiting for the giant yellow to bloom one day.
Pam, I do feel for the people that are being affected by the insurance companies. There are a lot of people who assume they are covered because the insurance companies are not going to enlighten anyone about the small differences . Who can understand half of what these contracts say anyway.
Hello Anthony, loved looking at that flower show site.
Karen, such pretty birds. I hope the little bird does survive. You did your best for her. I love that she has a friend there.
Charleen, how are you faring in the cold ? I think Charley would look very funny in his mud overcoat.
Hello Kat if you are out there.
I hear Judy is safe. I hope Chrissy is too.
Louise, you will be busy with your visitors. Pats for the girls. I'm off to get started on my building outside.
Hubby will be out later to tell me how I am doing it wrong.
Have a great day and stay safe.
Try this lovely Cream Puffs. ( I always think of Brian and Leisa when I see these, they did like the cream )
Jean.

Good morning everyone. A nice morning here after a warm day yesterday. Supposed to be the same today so I will be off out to water things before the heat arrives.
Lovely to hear that Judy is safe . Thanks for the news Colleen.
The floods are certainly affecting a huge part of the country as they move downstream here.
Anthony, I hope you enjoyed the music etc from your free concert.
I used to listen to the trots when I lived opposite the showgrounds in Melbourne. Lovely to be able to sit outside and enjoy something free.
Hello to all looking in. I hope you all have a great weekend and stay safe.
I'm off to get to that watering early.
Here's something to nibble on with your cuppa. Coconut Macaroons
Jean.

Yummy, thanks Jean. Although I suspect someone wasn't so keen on them. A couple appear to have been nibbled then put back in ... or perhaps someone's on a diet and figured having 2 halves was not as bad as having a whole one? lol

I drove down to Brisbane yesterday to babysit my little 2 month old grandson for the day today, and my gosh, the Bruce Highway is a mess from all that rain. Up around Bundaberg (and other places) the roads seem to fall apart at the first sign of rain, yet around Gympie they seem to have held up reasonably well. It was a bit patchy in a couple of places south of there,though a couple of really serious holes that I certainly wouldn't want to encounter in the dark. Between Maroochydore and Caboolture though was a mess, like the roads toward home. I'd always figured that the roads in our area were simply badly constructed, and the floods seem to confirm this. Given that the highway was underwater at Gympie for a few days I was quite anxious about what to expect, but it was fine.

I hadn't seen our little man since before Christmas so was looking forward to seeing how much he'd changed. In that time he's started smiling and cooing and has developed a bit of character. They change so quickly at this age. He's already worked out that the other little fellow that appears in the mirror is fun to poke tongues at. lol They're currently having agreat little chat.

yes jean,it wasnt bad at all,'all day and night'-a few good tunes whistling up this way,.i dont know if youve had any news on it out your way,but its filled the 1st 3 pages of our newspaper ,the last 2 days,.,.the museum is a bit of a shocker,'but i'll leave that for you to read up about'!!!!!i spent 4 hrs out in the front garden yesterday [finally] and i was pretty stuffed by nightfall[pizza and 4xxxx] topped it off and i was snoring by 9.30,.,.market this morning[big spender] $1 for a mini daff display bottle and 2kg of 'big' cherries $16 mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!,.,.i suppose i must get some order in the side garden today,organise the flowering cactus'ss a bit-remove the spent asiatics[i still have longiflorums coming out]- my henryi's are blooming,.,.anyway,enough dreaming,''into it'' after ive stuffed my chicken!!!!-anthony

cool & damp today but I managed to get sunburned...
took the dog to his first official Rally-O trial & the day brightened up a bit.
Naturally I didn't think to put sun block on, it was cloudy & I really should know better.
The dog did really well in the morning, 99/100.
Not so great in the afternoon, 96/100.
But that means we have two qualifying certificates & need one more to give him the RN title :)
I am tired, so is the dog but we are both happy!

Hello everyone. Well the boys are home and love their new sleeping arrangements. They've put all their things in their room where they want them and made their own beds, sort of, and tidied the room this morning. Hope it keeps up. John has just left to go back to Adelaide. I always get a lump in my throat when he goes, because he is just so good to me. One more week of holidays and things should get back to normal for a while. John's already planning to go camping at Easter time if we can get by the river. We cleaned out the smaller of the 2 sheds which are here and I'm going to stack all my material and patterns etc in there for the time being. They are all in the large plastic tubs with lock down lids so will be quite safe. Yes everything is back to normal, they're fighting already. Must go and sort them out. Be back later. Colleen

Beautiful Picture Colleen. Love the ones in the front. The color is a gorgeous violet. Beautiful.
Yes, when I feed the longears in the afternoon, they all are covered in patches of mud where they roll on the damp ground. You should hear them , they really enjoy their roll. Dalfyre, you did great. Congratulations.

Good morning all. Overcast here this morning but not cold. Hubby says we had a couple of mils of rain overnight. An inch or two again would be lovely. I have finally started watering all the pots and particular plants that need a drink.
I will be finishing off the last shelves in the zygo house today . Lots of trimming needs to be done around the paths again as everything grows so quickly. I will have to get to the Roundup as well before we are buried in tall weeds.
Hello Pam, hope you had a good time with your grandson. I will be seeing my little granddaughter for the first time in a few months. Yes, they are so cute at that age.
Hello Anthony, did you get all your weeding etc done ? I am looking out the window at the last lilium open. One of your white longiflorums.
How is Cocky going ?
Congratulations Teresa. Or should I say to the dog ( was it Copper) who earned a good rest too.
Colleen, all back to normal in your household now. The boys will enjoy starting school again soon. Its great that they have their own rooms now. I know what kids are like when they share a room.
Hello Charleen. It must be getting very cold there. How are your plants coping ? Pats for Charley and friends.
Louise, how are the girls ? I hope you and Hank are enjoying good times with your visitors. Whats the weather like for you there ?
Hello Kat, Sue, Karen and Dianne.
Time I moved and finished my cuppa.
Have a great day and stay dry if you can.
Try this Chocolate Orange Cake.
Happy gardening, Jean.

Hello everyone. Beautiful morning here, but I think its going to heat up early by the feel of it.

Got myself one of those Garden Waste bags, thinking I'll get it emptied once a month. Once a month? Hahaha...I totally overfilled it in the first hour, and didn't even finish the small patch I was working on. Barry compacted it down enough to add the lawn mower clippings.

I hope to start the big poisoning job today before the winds start blowing. Blew a gale yesterday, but if I'd started early enough I could have done it, but had to move a lot of plants out first.

So its garden season for me. So much to do. But it will be lovely when I've finished. Might take a couple of years though.

most of the weeds are out[i put in a blinder]-i have heaps of the longiflorum here,plus a few dark orange tigers[not tan,like all the others]-still got orientals/henryi and op's coming out---suck in the lovely smell!!!,.,.karen,good results take time!!!im in no hurry!99/100- good score copper!!!!!

Good morning everyone. Looks like a nice day here . Yesterday started off damp and cold but warmed up quickly after lunch.
I have a shady seat down the back, so stayed there and repotted all the small brugs.
Today I will make a start on potting up some of my small zygos. Couldn't get the Roundup out because of the breeze yesterday, so maybe later today.
Hello Anthony. My liliums are all done now. I wonder which bulbs will be showing themselves next.
Hello Karen, those garden bags are great. We don't have them here as we are too far for any pickup. I just toss all my garden waste down the back somewhere. There are lots of plants growing down there now. Noone can see as its behind the shed. We do have to make a trip to the tip once a year for the rose prunings and any large branches though.
Dianne, I planted seeds everywhere, thank you.
Very quiet in the Tea Room . Everyone must be very busy in their gardens.
After all the rain, I bet everyone has a garden full of triffid weeds.
Have a sit on the Tea Room patio and enjoy this delicious Apple Cake.
Happy gardening, Jean.

I began the spraying yesterday morning. Barry dragged out the large pots for me first to keep them safe. How long before I know if it worked? So far it looks like it just enjoyed a fertilizer session! I have so much more to do, this was just one patch of softer stuff. Will start on the aspargus fern soon. The sooner I start into it, the sooner it will get done.

Morning all! I guess I don't need to tell you Karen that here in Brisbane (heading home today) at 6.30am it's already quite warm and muggy. Thank goodness for car airconditioning. For those of you who know it, I'm thinking I might call into Fairhill on the way home for some of their yummy date and ginger scones. For those who don't know it, Fairhill is a native botanic garden with native nursery and cafe attached. It's a 5 1/2 hour drive home, so definitely need a few breaks.

Have a great day all. Does anyone have anything special planned for Australia Day?

G-Day mates have not had much time to visit was busy mosaicing and finishing all the edges for the pots .
Hope every one has a Great Australia Day I know it will be a sad one for many but a smile and extented hand to shake can mean a lot.-----------elaine.

Good Morning to every one on this great day its going to be a hot hot one in Sydney how we like it on a day we PARTY all day and finish with the best Fire works over our beatuful harbour .
Every one have a great day .-------elaine.

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY !!!!!!!
Hello everyone. I hope you all have a great day to celebrate our beautiful country. Floods and fires come and go but this is still the best country in the world.
I will be out in the garden as we are not going to any celebrations . We prefer to be quietly at home.
Some lovely rain last night so the watering can be held off for a few more days. Looks like it may be a still day for awhile so out with the Roundup.
Lots of buds on my brugs so looking forward to seeing new flowers.
Hello Elaine, have a great day .
Hello to Dianne, Teresa, Colleen, Anthony, Karen, Pam, Sue, Charleen and Louise.
Hello to everyone else. I am off to look around the garden and check on my berry bushes.
Enjoy the Lamington Cake.
Happy gardening, Jean.

Good morning everyone. Have been pretty busy around here sorting things out and repacking my sewing things so that i can store them in the shed for a while. The boys love having their own bedrooms though so it has been worth all the shuffling. I wish I had finances to build another room but I can always dream. It got to 40C here yesterday and then last night we had a lot of wind and a few spots of rain. It is a bit cooler this morning thank goodness. Thanks for the congrats Dianne. I'm pretty pleased with myself but Brian should have been here to share the thrill with me. Now to get them planted and see what I can come up with. That will be very interesting. Well I hope everyone has a great day. be back later Colleen

Beautiful Cacti blossoms. Colleen
Mudballs on legs is what I got today. Temp is 39 degrees and been raining al day. My longear crew is muddy. Oh, well, one day the sun will shine. So til then You all have a wonderful day...

So quiet here. Wouldn't know its Australia Day, or any other sort of day for that matter. I feel I am the only person left in existence...no, wait, I hear a door rattling next door. Someone must be home over there.

Hope you all have a lovely day, however you are spending it. My thoughts are to try to keep cool.

Good morning everyone. A bright sunshiny morning here. A bit nippy but will warm later. I can hear the plants growing , but I can also hear the weeds laughing. I hope you all enjoyed your Australia Day, whatever you did.
I finished off my zygo shelves.
We are being invaded here lately. In a nice way of course. The orb spiders have taking a real liking to the place.There are at least 6 that prefer the back pathway and shadehouse entrance. Lots more spread around the place. I gave up counting at 20.
Hubby likes to go out at night with his torch to look at them all. I stay inside out of their way. I know where they all are at night by the remnants of their very sticky web that hangs on to me as I do my morning garden walk.
A really lovely spider when looked at closely. One was right across the back screen door, which is open nearly all the time. Hubby had to move her web so she sulked and didn't make another. Just sat on the door frowning. I have a large one inside the greenhouse too.
Better put out something for nibbles as we are off to Hamilton again today. Hubby needs a few things for his workshop.
Hello to everyone and I hope you are all having lovely garden weather.
Try this yummy Chocolate Mud Cake.
Jean.

Hope you all have a lovely day, however you are spending it. My thoughts are to try to keep cool.

Yeah, it was a bit of a stinker, wasn't it? It beats the weather of a couple of weeks ago hands down though. lol

I went away on Saturday and came home late on Tuesday, and with just a few days sunshine I can't believe how much the weeds have thrived. It would be depressing if the other plants in the garden hadn't thrived too. With the few wet months we've had here I'm not sure how much sugar cane mulch will be available this year, but I've desperately got to track some down or these weeds will be my undoing this year. It seems to be about the best mulch in our climate, holds in moisture really well and breaks down over a season to improve the soil.

Good morning everyone. A lovely morning here too Jean. The sun is shining but a bit nippy. I'm sure it will warm up this afternoon though. What is everyone's opinion about the banning of Brugs? Do you think that they would really do this? I think that they would have to ban Petrol too as some idiots are using this as a drug as well. What about asthma inhalers and glue? Who is this person that put up the other thread anyway? Do they grow brugs? I did ring the Police about this and he said you keep growing and enjoying your Angel Trumpets, so I don't think that there is too much in it, not here anyway. Only a couple more days of school holidays now. We have to go and buy a new pair of school sandals today, but all the rest of the uniforms are ready for grades 2 and 3. I can't believe the boys are growing up so fast. They'll be in high school before I can blink. I hope everyone is well and enjoyed their day off yesterday. I had a little feed of yabbies yesterday, but I didn't catch them. It's been 17 years since I had a feed. 1994 was the last time that they were running really well. I owned a Service Station at the time and it was a 7 day thing so We couldn't get out to get our own yabbies so my sister and B-I-L were bringing in cooked yabbies for us. Beautiful. Well I had better get moving. Everyone have a lovely day and I'll be back later. Colleen

Colleen, the Attorney General's office is not going to be ignored by our pollies, so if I was a brug enthusiast I don't think I'd be dismissing the issue. I suspect that a pretty good case will be presented by the brug community as a whole, and they'll be excluded from the list but it would be a shame to see it become illegal to grow them simply because no one objected. The person who made the post appears to be scaremongering though, it seems to get support for also having a lot of other plants that probably deserve to be on the list excluded from it.

When a person's first post at a forum is drumming up support for a cause, their motive is usually fairly obvious.

My email has gone off to the AGO ...but I am confident this is a storm in a tea cup.
Hi everyone ...I am getting used to a new puter.
This one seems to think I should know everything already ^_^
I have always had 2nd hand ones before and it was already "done"so here I am wading around in cyber space trying to figure out what's what.
Daves garden taught me a lot re computer but this is scary ...everything is different ...and like I said ´t expects to to know it all already ...SIGH

Oh well they say you should use it or lose it so off I go into deep cyber space and the unknown.
I have missed you all ...

I have a new mystery plant in the garden...
it came up in early spring & has grown a fair bit, now it is flowering, a small but attractive purple flower.
Pic is one that fell off & was sitting on a leaf that broke it's fall...

thanks Chrissy - that is exactly like it :)
I wonder where it came from...
birds I would imagine, I love getting plants for free especially ones with nice flowers.
Good thing the dog doesn't chew plants other than grass.

Good morning all. A lovely morning here again. We had a nice day in Hamilton, just walking around looking in shops. Had a lovely lunch in our favorite cafe too.
It looks nice and still out there at the moment so I will be mixing up the Roundup for a real go at the weeds.
Hello Chrissy, lovely to see you back. Have fun with the new computer. They do have minds of their own don't they ?
I remember how scared I was when first on the computer. Always thinking I would press the wrong key and lose everything.
Glad to hear your brother is coming along well.
Hello Teresa. Yes your plant is the kangaroo apple. I have a very large one here that just popped out of nowhere some years ago. I leave it because it provides a nice windbreak and requires no care at all. It is native in Australia but I have never seen one in this particular area before. It can grow large as mine is around 7'tall and about 10'wide . It keeps getting wider but is nice and green and flowers a lot. In all the weather too. Pity some plants in the garden couldn't do as well.
Hello Colleen. mmmmm, Yabbies. I love them but haven't had a feed for years. Before I met hubby, I was renting a farmhouse next to a large dam full of them . I had lots of yummy feeds then.
By now the boys will be looking forward to school. Lots of new friends to meet plus getting back with old ones.
Hello Dianne, Anthony, Pam and Karen.
Charleen and Louise, how are you going over there. Not too cold I hope.
Pats for the girls and Charley.
I am off to attack the weeds.
Have a great day everyone and stay safe.
Try this Cinnamon TeaCake.
Jean.

Morning everyone. Lovely morning here too Jean. Oh, yum Dirt Cake. When we were little my Grandma used to come and visit and she would always bring a slab of cinnamon cake and a yard of Fritz. We always called it dirt cake because of the cinnamon and sugar on top. Memories, aren't they wonderful. Chrissy that's wonderful news about your brother. He'll soon be out in the garden helping you with all the weeds. I've nearly got all the sewing gear out in the shed. Have put my machines in for a service and then will make some tracksuits for the boys for winter. Nothing too flash just something to keep them nice and warm. It's a lot cheaper than buying them as I've already got the material stashed away. Metres of the stuff. They were having a sale on Bucle, a fleecy backed toweling type material, so I bought a heap of it as it washes like an old rag, as the saying goes. Well first boy has risen so will go now and be back later. Colleen

Wow, so much to read this morning. Hello everyone. I have absolutely nothing to say this morning. All is quiet on the home front. Going to be hot again today.

The many butterflies around here are mostly never still to photograph. Barry made an attempt to capture this one in a pic. Not the greatest, but as good as we'll probably ever get. There are quite a few of these around lately, along with many other sorts.

Well done on the climbing Frangipani Chrissy. There's a huge archway covered in it at the Botanic gardens here in Bundaberg. It's absolutely stunning when in flower. I've never really had a good look at the gardens here, as it's usually too hot, too cold, or I'm too busy. It's a pity, because I've always been very impressed with what I have seen there, and always vowed to go back more often, but it never seems to happen.

I've been out and done a couple of hours or so of weeding and planting this morning, and boy is it hot out there already! What I wouldn't give for a swimming pool sometimes. Then again, I suspect our little dogs might decide it was put there for their benefit, so maybe not.

Hello Everyone! Dipping in to check on how the weather is treating you folks now. It almost sounds like your weather, Jean, is much like ours now. I love these cool, clear days and snuggly nights.

Karen, for someone who has nothing to say, you sure did speak beautifully with that lovely shot!!

More things to do in a day than there are hours...mostly fun things now that my girls are being so cooperative and good. Why, they'll be in college before we know it! lol Oh, yeah, they're DOGS...sometimes I forget that! :) I'm really enjoying the mosaic fun. Had my neighbor down today to do some smashing and nipping of china and pottery.

Chrissy, so exciting about your frangiapani shoot! Also happy to hear about your brother!

Had a medical scare that has kept me awake at nights until the Dr. said this morning that it is probably not what was originally feared. We'll know more in 10 days, but I'm feeling less fearful tonight and hope to get some sleep. After I let out a big exhale, I told my doctor that when you get to my age, you start thinking that this may be how you are going to go, so no more bravado of youth. Being generally a positive person, it makes me so mad to be fearful that way. I guess it's just the unknown that gets to you. Anyway, I'm back in a positive place again.

Hello to everyone! The weekend is almost upon us! Have a great one!
Louise

Hello Louise. How lovely to see you back again. Yes, the girls will soon be at college age. Will they choose Yale as their Uni ? ha ha
I'm hope your results are all okay when you get them. These scares are not good as we age.
Its official from my garden now. I was just out cutting a path through the jungle when I found a tall naked lady. No, not me. Heavens that would really scare the plants.
It must be getting close to Autumn.
It seems no matter what the weather decides to do, the plants know better. The dahlias are coming into bud . I only keep the few here now that survive along a fence. There are two of the burgundy foliage ones in the cottage garden which are just about in bud too.
I have given up on the garden for today until it cools later this afternoon. I am making another bench out under some shadecloth for all my small seedling cymbids. The bench has to be removed from one of the greenhouses. It is no longer a real greenhouse as the plastic has just about gone from the mesh covering due to the sun. Funny thing though, the first one bought 2 years earlier is still pretty good. The frame and whats left of the covering make a lovely shadehouse for my begonias etc. I have a mandevilla and hoya climbing in there plus a bamboo, begonias and various other plants. I will just let them do their own thing after I remove the bench. Better go and have my cuppa. I'm always forgetting to drink it as I get sidetracked doing other things.
Jean.

Good morning everyone. Second son's birthday today. He'll be 38. What do you buy someone who has his own particular taste in the garden and really has everything in my price range. I'll probably finish up getting a voucher, but I think that they are so impersonal. Two more days before school goes back. I don't sound tooooo excited, do I? lol. I have lots to do in the garden. Plenty of thistles everywhere. One thing is the galahs and chooks love them so they're not wasted. Jean I've put the kettle on for any other early risers and I'll be back later for another cup. I have some naked ladies in my garden too. Colleen

Good morning everyone. Its very quiet here this morning. Everyone must be very busy. Lots to do in the gardens now with old plants dying off and new ones popping up.
Anthony, that lily you posted on the other thread is so beautiful.
Elaine, I hope you are resting and relaxing with your mosaics.
Chrissy, I will be running up and down watching all my brugs buds now.
Teresa, I see on the news that NZ had some wild weather. Mother Nature is letting us know she is about.
Hello Colleen, I agree with you that vouchers are a bit impersonal, but what else can you do . At least you know he will get something he likes.
Louise, I hope you lovely garden is doing well. Give those young ladies a pat from me.
Hello Charleen, and everyone else out there. I am off to hang out the washing and get a few things done before it gets hot. Forecast is for high 30s today and in the 40s tomorrow.
Enjoy your weekend and try this delicious extravagance, Baklava. Yummmmm
Jean.

Good Morning to Every one Its a beautiful start to the day 2 days in a row it has been little cooler and overcast to start the watering is all finished was not a chore but a pleasure to be out side doing it to day.
I have played and finished the face of the guitar will not be doing the back till the weather cools down also finished the 30 edges thates 2 projects out of the way - my studio is not air conditioned ends up a sweat box by lunch time .
Now have to get in and fix the garden .
till later elaine.

Hi everyone ...been outside and the mozzies are huge and plentiful!
They usually leave me alone but I guess they are hungry.

Some poor things look tired,
Just imagine standing out there all day in our heat.
The weeds are having a ball!

Poor NZ ...when will it all end?
Jean make sure you check under the leaves of your Brugs or they will be nothing but lace.
The 28 spotted lady bird babies are having a great time in this weather.
Luckily I seem to have squished most of those three striped bugs last year as there are but a handful this season.
The grass hoppers are making up for them!
Anything within hopper distance is under attack.
You must be very pleased to see some of your new babies coming through ...love the multiple points ^_^

Loise lovely to hear you are enjoying some nice weather. It seems to be rare at the moment.
I hope your medical results are good ...(((hugs))) and all my very best wishes for a good outcome.

Elaine I love your work ...always do ^_^

Colleen don't you just love those naked ladies? not only are they pretty but the fragrance is seductive.
Ahhh school ...sudden quiet ...then you will miss your boys.

gardengal oh yes the climbing frangipani will have me clucking over it like a mother hen ...funny how they are often killed with too much clucking. I will try to restrain myself. ^_^
Waving at all the lurkers and lookers and friends ...I hope everyone has a wonderful day!
The 4 o' clocks are smelling lemony delicious! that is a 6ft fence behind them.

Hello, Everyone! Jean, that was quite an image of the tall, naked lady and I'm glad you clarified it wasn't you! lol I'd like to see a photo of your new bench area when you finish it...sounds very nice! Thank you for your kind response about the medical scare. You are so right...gets scarier as we get "more mature"... I feel positive still.

Elaine - I LOVE your guitar and can now appreciate how difficult it is to get that result! I am also loving a view of your studio. I have some of those colored glass gems that are up on the shelf in the jars. I love to just look at them for the colors. I do love color and that's why I think I like doing the pot painting and now the mosaics. Nice job!

Be happy, dry and safe, my friends! I'm off to come up with something for dinner.
Louise

Chrissy try this for the mozzies mix 2 bottle caps full of Listerine [ mouthwash ]in small spray bottle of water and spray around.
Louise I have been putting to gether a stand for the guitar this morning it was the first one the next one has to look better for now it is standing free no need to hook onto any thing -- this is a better view of the corner Iam a clutter bug - I know whate you mean about looking at the colours of the glass gems .
Till later elaine.

Good morning everyone.Very warm here already . This is the first morning for a long time that has been warm early. Usually we have a nippy morning which warms up around lunchtime.
Anthony, I see you are running amok in Queensland. I have never had a cyclone with my name.
Hello Charleen. A friend tells me that it has been unseasonably warm in parts of the USA. I hope you are not too frozen in your area.
Louise, hello to you and Hank and the little darlings. I do hope all your news is good with your tests.
Elaine, I see no clutter either. Just the things you work with. How can an artist work in complete tidiness ? Love the guitar. I think my favorite of your work is the small edgers. I love that they look like a row of little houses.
Hello Chrissy. How are you doing with the new computer ? I have a few of the 4 ošlocks here. With the extra rain they have grown huge. I have the original ones that just popped up years ago which are always bright pink, plus one of yours which always blooms just yellow.
I never see those ladybirds here. We only seem o have the nice ones that eat aphids. I spray the brugs regularly now with a bit of eucalyptus oil in water to deter any bugs. With the warm and extra rain, they seem to have thrown off the spider mites that affected a couple.
Hello Dianne, Karen and Teresa.
I had better get out and throw a bit of water aroun dbefore the sun gets too hot. The swimming pools need to be kept topped up for the children ( maggies). They love to be in them when it gets hot.
So funny to see magpies standing and sitting in dishes of water.
Have ahappy day in your gardens. Try some of this Lemon Cheesecake with your cuppa.
Jean

today and tomarrow supposed to be beautiful. It is today, I have 68 degrees. Isn't that great but supposed to rain next week. I don't care long as it doesn't freeze. Been a wonderful day, sounds like Robert is getting ready to till the garden, he has Cabbages and onions to plant. Wonderful day.

Good morning everyone. Going to be a hot one today. Everything got a good watering yesterday so should be okay today. You can just about see everything growing in this weather, yes and the weeds. I have a sick little boy at the moment. He got up yesterday morning and said that his tooth was hurting again so I gave him some Panodol but as the day wore on he got a temperature and said his face was hurting and his tummy. I gave him some more Panodol and kept the fluids up and wiped him down with a cool cloth through the night thewn he started to sweat and seems a bit better this morning. I'll see how he is when he wakes again whether I take him to the hospital ER or not. Jean I'm with you in thinking that Elaine's edging is lovely. I had some lovely flowered patterned crockery that had been broken and I thought that I might send it to whoever wanted it for mosaics but I think it would be very expensive to post. I had thought about doing some myself, but no Colleen, you have enough on your plate already. lol I hope everyone has a lovely day and Louise thinking of you with your test results. Be back later. Colleen

Good Morning to all we are in for a hot one as well thanks for all the nice comments on the mosaics Iam a show off with them .
Colleen I have seen old plates standing up as a edger they look good also a big serving plate standing up in a pot as a back ground used to block the sun so plant is in shade .

Karen I have sold a lot of small pots and circles I all ways have a few ready to show thate way I can do the colour wanted and the small guitars to hang in out side party rooms

This morning I had to top up the pond the water was just covering the roots of the water plant .
Till later elaine.

Good morning all! Elaine - I agree with everyone else about the tidiness of your studio. It looks quite organized to me! Today I grouted my latest beginner's mosaic tray at the table in our sunroom and made a huge mess with balls of grout all over the floor. Ugh...how nice it would be to have a studio! Here is my project of the morning.

Hello Charleen. You sound so happy and cheerful and that is so nice! You have had some tough, snowy weather where you are, so you are certainly due some nice temps. Glad you are able to get some of the garden crops in!

Hi Jean! Hank and I and the little darlings are enjoying our beautiful day here today as well. I hope you are enjoying your warm weather and your maggies! :)

Thank you, Colleen! Good wishes are most welcome and soothing! I am sending mine to your little guy. Hope he is feeling better soon!

Louise The tray is out standing love the the patten .
A tip --- buy a couple of cheap large plastic table cloths one on the floor and one under your work when your finished easy to clean up I have a large sheet of cardboard under the work when I grout when you get used to grouting there wont be so many grout balls falling . planning whate your doing next
I stand when I mosaic and grout I feel I have more control of materials thate way . -----elaine.

That pink lasiandra of yours is a beautiful one Karen.
Hi everyone ...I am in just on closing time.

I must confess *blush* to playing with my new computer in between my chores today.
All this new stuff ...I feel like a dinosaur,
does technology really move so fast or is it me?
Looking at some old you tube songs has put me in a misty mood.
I haven't been able to do that for quite a long time now and I am all at once a little child discovering wonderful things ...yet longingly yearning for "the good old days ".
They probably were not as wonderful as we remember ...do our minds edit out most of the boring details and focus mostly on the good memories?
What do you think?
Did our forebears have to struggle with these sort of "old dog learning new tricks" stuff?
Is that why they lived into their 90's or will this new tricks keep us young or wear us out sooner?
Forgive my ramblings but it's been too hot to go outside.

I hope everyone enjoyed their day.
I know I did but where did it go?
Poof and it's gone.
I will try to be sane tomorrow I promise.
Anthony I am with you mate ...the mists of time swirl around poor old noggin and I must surface and get real again.
chrissy

chrissy100 wrote: ...yet longingly yearning for "the good old days ".
They probably were not as wonderful as we remember ...do our minds edit out most of the boring details and focus mostly on the good memories?
What do you think?

They were simpler times, Chrissy. And I think we were able to think we had some idea of the world we were bringing children into. When I was 9, my sister (who is a year older) and I used to walk accross town on a Saturday afternoon to go to the movies. There is no way if a fit I'd feel safe letting children do that these days.

And technology does move very fast. It's not that long ago that a gigabyte was considered to be the absolute limit that a memory chip could achieve. And memory cost about $1 a megabyte to upgrade.

Good morning everyone. The sun is up and warm already. Yesterday was very hot ( 39C here) Probably not that hot for some, but after all our cooler weather one feels the heat more. I do anyway. Poor hubby feels it terribly, as once he gets hot, his body just cant cool down quickly. I keep telling him he needs a new thermostat.
I didn't do too much yesterday . Just some watering and a bit of pottering around in the fern house.
I gave everything a good drink the day before and will refresh them all this morning..
My bearded iris is flowering , poor confused thing. I have heard of some that rebloom, but not in summer.
There is another one out there too. I wonder if they will still flower at the normal time in spring.
One of my Tillandsias has a new shoot and the flower stem on another is opening.
Lots of puppies in the brom house. They are loving the heat.
Now I have shadecloth over the brugs, they are looking better in the heat as well.
Hello Chrissy. I was like you when we bought the new computer, exploring all the different things it does . Now I just use it for what I want.
I love new technology but once I am familiar with programs I use, I don't have the need to explore the rest.
Hello Louise. You will be mosaicing everything now. ( is mosaicing a word ? well it is now )
I still haven't got around to starting anything.
Elaine, you are a talented lady and may have started a mosaic epidemic on here.
Hello Pam, Karen and Teresa. Hello Anthony, Dianne and Kat. Kai I hope you are all getting over the worst of the flood damage up there.
Colleen, are the boys very excited to be getting back to school. I hope the bug or whatever has cleared up for the sick little fellow.
My cacti are all showing new growth , even the little ones. I think of Brian sharing them when I go out there.
Isn't it lovely to be able to walk around the garden and talk to all the friends still with us and those departed .. Yes, I do talk to my plants, much to hubbys amusement, when he hears me saying hello Colleen, hello Sue, hello Anthony. hello Leisa and Brian.
There are a few others there too from lovely old ladies who have gone to His garden.
Better go and see what I can put out for you all today. Maybe something cool and delicious.
Just the thing, Banana Pudding.
Happy day, Jean.

Good morning everyone. Boy was it hot yesterday. 45C on the front verandah. I reckon it didn't cool down below 30C over night. Summer is here. Jean have you had any flowers on the cacti yet? You're right about all the plants reminding us of people. I have a flower on the Euchurist Lily that Leisa gave me pieces of. Sometimes when I see a flower for the first time , it is so beautiful, that I get goose bumps, and usually say wow out loud or aren't you beautiful. lol. No-one here to call me mad usually. Whoo hoo boys off to school this morning. Cameren has been very poorly over the weekend, but I think that he will be okay to go to school. I will see the teacher and explain that he might be a bit lethagic today and to ring me if he's not coping too well. Well must go and get ready. Will be back later. In memory of our dear Leisa.

I should be cleaning my house, not sitting here half asleep on the lap top but I am just in a blob out mood.
I worked 7 days straight in the bar and when I got up this morning I could hardly walk.
Since I am only 40mumble that is not a good sign.
I have been told that with them hiring two new staff members my roster will change, I get Sunday/Monday off & then work Tuesday - Saturday but alternating one week on days with a week on nights...
they thought that was the fairest way...
my contract has expired so they can change things as they like, for 8 years I have done days and only worked nights if needed.
I had offered to help at dog club on a Tuesday night... had to let them down as it clashes with the week I am on nights.
Will be interesting trying to organise our committee meetings as they are at night to.
It would have been ok if they had given me Saturday/Sunday off - I would have lost fewer hours that way & at least being able to go to dog shows or visit my family etc would have made up for it.

Morning all. Speaking of plants that smell like rotten meat, we discovered that the flowers of Caladium do too, and given that they're aroids, poisonous to dogs - bad combination. The general consensus with caladiums is that any flowers should be removed, so as to encourage leaf development, which is hindered if the flowers are left on. So, a plant I have growing in the garden developed a couple of flowers which I dutifully removed and tucked in beneath the mass of leaves. A week or so later hubby discovered the then 3 or 4 month old pup chewing them, and they really did smell like rotten meat. No damage done to pup as she'd only just found them, so it was a valuable lesson. No more caladium flowers tossed in the garden.

Have a great day all. Those in the path of the cyclone, take care. It was category 2 mid afternoon yesterday, and was later upgraded to 3. It's now apparently 4, so is intensifying fairly rapidly.

Good morning everyone.Very hot and humid here this morning. Same as yesterday. Not comfortable at all. I wont be doing much outside today unless it cools down a bit.
Hello Colleen, how is the little chap today ? Feeling better I hope.
Teresa, what a shame they messed up your hours. Take a bit of replanning of your time now.
Chrissy, My brugs like this weather anyway, even if I dont.
Hello Karen. My large stapelia like yours has not flowered yet. It has grown well though. The other large hairy burgundy is flowering also the common small variegata.
Hello Pam, I hope everyone anywhere in range of the cyclone is safe.
I'm off to do a few things before the sun really gets going.
Enjoy this Carrot and Walnut Loaf.
Hello to everyone else out there. I moved us over near the lake in the cool. We are here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1152554/
Jean.

Hi Charleen yes a really big cyclone heading into the top of Australia up North in QLD.
It looks pretty bad.
We hope everyone will be ok ...floods now this whopper cyclone ... it's all very scary and the damage done and what will be done is just too awful.
Thankyou for your kind thoughts ...most of these places have now been evacuated.
We know that many parts of the USA are being "snowed in" so I hope everyone is ok over your way too.

I'm in the Southeast, so far we have had ice/snow mix low temps but this week seems warmer. Hoping it stays warmer 43 degrees here now. Anything over 29 is most welcome.
I love you all and am wishing you all great safety.